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Aleksandar Mitrovic may have accepted an FA misconduct charge and a three-game ban for elbowing West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini, but the Newcastle United striker insists he did nothing wrong and claimed his does not understand why he has been punished.

Mitrovic was punished retrospectively after the referee did not see his elbow catching Lanzini in the face during Newcastle’s 3-0 win over the Hammers before the international break.

The incident was highlighted by pundits on BBC’s Match of the Day and has helped fuel a persecution complex on Tyneside, with some supporters suggesting Mitrovic is harshly treated.

The volatile Serbian did not contest the charge and, as a result, will not play again for his club until October.

On target: Mitrovic scores against West HamCredit:
Newcastle United via Getty Images

Although television replays looked pretty damning, Mitrovic argued he is involved in similar tussles in every game and suggested the offence did not even warrant a yellow card.

“It is very frustrating for me, but I can’t change anything now,” said Mitrovic, who has struggled to prove to Benitez that he deserves to start games, largely because of his poor disciplinary record.

“These are the rules, but I didn’t mean to do this, the things they have accused me of. It wasn’t even a foul in the game, but I have to accept the rules and respect the decision that has been made.

“I didn’t mean it, it wasn’t even a foul, I have three or four incidents like this every match so I don’t understand it. If I say something more, though, they can punish me even more. I just have to take this on the chin and make sure I stay as fit as possible so that I can help the team when I return.

“I don’t know what they said [on Match of the Day], I have no idea, but I’ve been banned for three games and I was really surprised.

“It has been really tough to get my head around it. It was an accident. I spoke to Lanzini after the game and he was fine.

“It is going to be very hard to miss these games, I had a good pre-season, I’ve scored two goals already, it is very hard for my head to stay focused and strong. That’s life. That’s football, I have to try and look forward.”

On a more positive note, Mitrovic should be playing in his first World Cup next summer after Serbia’s win over Ireland stretched their lead at the top of the qualification Group.

“It was an unbelievable night for Serbian football, a really good result for us,” Mitrovic added. “It was a really amazing game, but we have to stay focused and make sure we finish it off in the next couple of games.

“It is a huge thing for Serbia, it has been a long time coming. I think it is very important for the Serbian people to see us back at a World Cup. It is an unbelievable achievement, we have done it for the Serbian people, for the whole country, we want to make them proud and I hope we have done that.”